US Congress on December 22, 2020 passed new legislation ‘Tibetan Policy and Support Act (TPSA)’ that reaffirms the rights of Tibetans to choose a successor to their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama.
- The Act said such decisions (choosing successor) “should be made by the appropriate religious authorities within the Tibetan Buddhist tradition” with the “wishes of the 14th Dalai Lama.
- The legislation calls for the establishment of a US consulate in Tibet’s main city of Lhasa.
- The legislation also proposes a “regional framework on water security” and greater participation from the community in dialogue with China on monitoring the region’s environment.
- The law has been described by Dharamshala, the seat of the Tibetan government-in-exile, as a historic move and a clear message to China.
- Lobsang Sangay, president of the Central Tibetan Administration, described the legislation as a victory for the Tibetan freedom struggle.
- The Chinese foreign ministry accused the US of meddling in its internal affairs.
- China annexed Tibet after its troops entered the region in 1950 in what it calls a “peaceful liberation”. The Dalai Lama fled into exile in India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule.
(Wion and HT)
